Takin’ data to the streets. Word.

Whenever I’m out late at night with my bottle of black spray paint while climbing onto the highway overpass, I’m always like, “I wish there was an easier way to make pie charts on this street sign. There has to be a better way!” I am sure you can identify. Well fret no more. Golan Levin, an artist and educator, provides you with the open-source pie chart stencil.

As shown below, simply adjust the levers on the circle for the correct percentages and arrange the letters on the bottom for an appropriate message.

I like it…though ocean life has not been depleted by 90% since 1950. Myers & Worm (2003 Nature 423:280-283) suggested that >90% of large predatory fishes have been lost from the global ocean, but this isn’t the same as 90+% of all ocean life. Not that one is really preferable to the other (despite the controversy regarding details), but there are real and important differences.

As a frequent victim of vandalism, I sure am thrilled to see your promotion of such vandalism on you site. Just what we need are helpful hints and suggestions on how people can deface other people’s property. I presume by your support that you are fine if we all come over and tag you stuff with spray paint?

@Coyote: This blog frequently showcases usage of various computer programs and the use of computers for data visualization. Computers are frequently used to hack into commercial systems, for phishing, and all sorts of other crime.

Yet, the information in the preceding two sentences does not indicate, that the blog author supports crime and it does in no way imply that the blog author would be fine with us readers hacking his systems. That would be a foolish conclusion to draw from those two sentences. Just as foolish as you concluding from the post above that the blog author supports vandalism or would be fine if we came over and “tag you [sic] stuff with spray paint”.

As for the cases of vandalism you are frequently a victim of: I wish you all the best in tackling this problem. I hope you and the law enforcement authorities catch the vandalists and find a way to compensate you for the damage appropriately.